GRACE set to release BJU report

The president of Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C., announced today the organization GRACE has completed its report on how the Christian university responded in the past to reports of sexual abuse or assault.

The Lynchburg, Va.–based GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) confirmed it will release the 300-page report on its website Thursday. Bob Jones University (BJU) initiated the GRACE investigation in November 2012.

An online statement from BJU President Steve Pettit—and his remarks to faculty and students this morning—offered a glimpse into the report’s findings and the school’s response.

In his announcement to faculty and students, Pettit said the school wanted to be part of the solution in reassessing how colleges and universities handle abuse allegations. “To do that, we must first take the mote out of our own eye, and address our own failings,” he said. “The GRACE report helps in that effort by helping us identify areas of concern.”

An online statement from Pettit said GRACE interviewed about 40 victims, “a number of whom were former BJU students who received counseling from BJU. Most had suffered child sexual abuse while some had experienced sexual assault before or while at BJU.”

Pettit said the report indicated concerns over BJU’s counseling of abuse victims, with some victims reporting “a number of staff members at the university tended to blame victims for the abuse or sexual assault they experienced and that this implied blame left them feeling more traumatized.”

Pettit’s remarks included an apology: “I would like to sincerely and humbly apologize to those who felt they did not receive from us genuine love, compassion, understanding, and support after suffering sexual abuse or assault. We did not live up to their expectations. We failed to uphold and honor our own core values. We are deeply saddened to hear that we added to their pain and suffering.”

BJU announced Pettit would appoint a committee to review the report’s findings and recommendations during the next 90 days. Pettit said the school also wanted to understand better the process GRACE used in compiling the report. The school considers the report “a valuable tool” to improve how BJU counsels students and supports victims of assault, he said.

GRACE released a statement saying its 300-page report will be available for download from its website at 11 a.m. tomorrow. The statement warned the report contains “painful disclosures by sexual abuse victims and strong language when describing the impact of the institutional responses to abuse disclosures.”

It also said members of the GRACE team “continue to pray that the words of this report will fuel hope and healing in the lives of many as well as bring about transformational changes in the life of Bob Jones University.”